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Easy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili Recipe: Creamy & Best

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This creamy Instant Pot White Chicken Chili is the perfect blend of convenience and comfort, delivering a bowl of food that feels like a warm hug on a cold day. It’s quick, easy, and made with simple ingredients for a satisfying weeknight meal.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2–3 large breasts)
  • 2 cans (15 oz each) cannellini beans or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened and cut into cubes
  • 1 ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional, for heat)
  • ½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, sliced jalapeños, diced avocado, tortilla chips, lime juice

Instructions

  1. Prep the Aromatics: Turn Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ on ‘Normal’. Add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once shimmering, add diced onion and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
  2. Bloom the Spices: Add cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using). Stir constantly for 30-60 seconds until aromatic.
  3. Deglaze the Pot: Pour in ½ cup chicken broth. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom.
  4. Add Main Ingredients: Add remaining 1 ½ cups chicken broth, drained white beans, diced green chiles (with juices), and chicken breasts. Ensure chicken is mostly submerged.
  5. Pressure Cook: Secure lid, set valve to ‘Sealing’. Cancel ‘Sauté’. Select ‘Manual’ or ‘Pressure Cook’ (High) for 20 minutes. It will take 10-15 minutes to come to pressure.
  6. Natural Release: After cooking, let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes. Then carefully turn valve to ‘Venting’ to release remaining steam. Open lid away from face.
  7. Shred Chicken: Remove chicken breasts from pot and shred into bite-sized pieces using two forks.
  8. Create Creamy Base: Using an immersion blender, blend about half the beans and liquid in the pot until thick and creamy, leaving some whole beans for texture. Alternatively, transfer 2 cups soup to a regular blender, blend, and return to pot.
  9. Finish Chili: Return shredded chicken to pot. Turn Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ on ‘Less’ (low heat). Add cubed cream cheese and stir until melted. Stir in sour cream or Greek yogurt. Simmer 2-3 minutes to thicken. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top with desired garnishes.

Notes

To avoid the ‘Burn’ warning, deglaze the pot thoroughly after sautéing. Add cream cheese and sour cream at the end to prevent scorching. For a thicker chili, let it simmer on ‘Sauté’ (Low) for an extra 5-10 minutes. This chili tastes even better the next day.

Nutrition

Keywords: Instant Pot white chicken chili, creamy white chicken chili, easy white chicken chili, pressure cooker white chicken chili, weeknight dinner, comfort food

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